GOD'S CROOKED LINES/ LOS RENGIONES TORCIDOS DE DIOS

Spain, 2022, 154 minutes, Colour.

Barbara Lennie, Eduard Fernandez, Loretto Mauleon, Javier Beltran, Pablo Derqui

Directed by Oriol Paolo.

Based on a celebrated 1979 novel, this is a very complex psychological drama. It is a lengthy film. And it won several awards.

The focus is on Alicia, played by Barbara Lennie, who enters an institution, with a story about her being legally abducted by her husband who is after her money. In her interviews with various doctors, she explains that she received advice from a mysterious character, was able to get documentation so that she should enter the institution.

A great deal of attention is given to the staff of the institution, the variety of doctors, but also the patients, the sex offender called the Gnome, a mysterious set of twins, one outgoing, the other not.

But, it emerges that Alicia has promised to investigate the death of the son of a doctor, his dying in the institution.

Audiences need to pay attention to what is happening to Alicia as well as her explanations of her background, her marital situation and the money, the contact advising her, the doctor who son has died in the institution.

There is a second timeline involving a fire in the institution and some consequent deaths.

Ultimately, with meetings with panel of doctors, Alicia admits the truth about her cover, being in the institution, her investigations. The panel agrees that she is sane and can leave.

However, after she leaves, her sense of freedom, she is in a room and the person who comes in is the man she initially encountered who gave her the advice.

The audience is left with the mystery of Alicia’s identity, her plan, her mental state, the consequences.

The Wikipedia entry is very, very detailed.